Love on the Rancho
by Hot n' Exotic
Summary: What if Suze had not shifted back while she and Jesse were jumping at the end of the sixth book? Jesse takes Suze and Paul to visit his ranch. The question is: Will Suze bear to part with him when the time comes? JS. R and R!
1. Chapter 1

**Suze's POV**

We hit the ground hard. "Ow!" I cried. For a moment I forgot that I was in the year 1850. All I saw was the barn blazing in front of me. Horses were neighing and people were screaming and yelling around. "What the hell..?"

I started to panic. _Oh my God, Oh my God! How am I supposed to escape these flames???_

Then I noticed Jesse sitting up beside me. At once my heart started beating at a more normal pace. Jesse was here. He would help me. He always did.

But…hold on. This Jesse looked…alive. _No that's stupid. Jesse is a ghost, Suze you moron._

Then suddenly it all came flooding down on me. Jesse's fight with Felix Diego…Diego grabbing hold of me then throwing me away like a piece of trash…me knocking over the lantern… and then…and..then…I was trapped in a ring of fire! Yeah, and then Jesse came to save me! And he knocked down the barn wall and we jumped!

Jesse's deep voice broke me out of my reverie. "Ms. Simon, Ms. Simon, are you alright?" he asked me. "Huh?" I asked intelligently. Then realizing what he said I replied "Yeah, yeah. I'm ok. How 'bout you?" Jesse looked at me a little strangely, possibly wierded out my 21st century vernacular. But he replied "I'm alright" and helped me go and sit in a secluded spot a safe distance away from the barn. Then he went to help the other people who had run out tame the fire.

I leaned back against a tree, exhausted. Normally, I wouldn't just sit around and watch other people taking care of an emergency. I would want to be part of the action. But today I was tired out. The evening's excitement was catching up on me.

I watched Jesse's strong muscular arms pick up bucket after bucket of water and hand it on to the next person. He was sooo handsome. The spreading flames were making shadows on some areas of his face and lighting up others. The raging light enhanced his perfectly sculpted features. _Break out of it, Suze._ _How are you thinking these things when someone's property is burning down?_ I continued staring at Jesse's tall frame. He helped other people without expecting rewards in return. He wasn't conceited. _Unlike Paul_, I thought darkly.

Then I remembered him. Paul. Oh my God, where was he? I mean it wasn't like I actually liked him or anything but still I didn't want him _dead_. Just then a heavy hand fell on my shoulder. "What the...??!!" I jumped a foot into the air. I turned around and guess who I saw? Paul Slater. Wow. Speak of the devil and he appears. But anyway, I was relieved to see him.

"Paul! Ohmigod, thank god you are alive!" I shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. I expected him to smirk and make some cheeky comment on my huge display of emotion towards him. Instead, he went all worried and said "Suze. You ok? You don't have any broken bones or anything do you? 'Cause being in 1850, we won't have any medication. I mean, of course there is medication but not the proper kind. We won't have a CAT scan and-

"Paul!" I cut him off. Wow. Paul Slater, the logical and cool-headed Paul Slater was actually babbling. He must be feeling really bad about bringing me here in the first place. "I'm fine. No broken bones or anything. I'm totally broken bones-free. See?" I twirled around to prove what I said. Paul looked relieved. "Oh, ok. Good.

"So…where's Rico?" he said, his usual sneer plastered across his face again. Some things never change. "He went to help put out the fire" I replied. Just then, with a great shudder the barn fell down. It lay there in a pile of smoking ash and wood.

Jesse spotted the two of us and came running to us. He was panting hard and sweating. Unlike the sight of Dopey sweating when he's working with his barbells or something, the sight of Jesse sweating didn't make me want to barf. When Jesse sweats he looks heroic and …oh whatever. All I meant is that Jesse looks hot in anything and in any state.

"Susannah, where will you stay the night?" asked Jesse. "And, you" he added, turning to Paul disgustedly. That's my Jesse for you. Always kind and caring. "Jesse, don't worry about us. We'll think of something. You have to get back to your house, ok?" I said. "And leave you here alone stranded with this _puta_?" he said. "No, no. We will all stay the night here at the boardinghouse and then tomorrow morning, I will escort you to my ranch. I think my parents will want to meet the people who saved my life" Jesse said.

Wow. A meeting with Jesse's family. A glimpse into his life. I mean, even though the Ghost Jesse and I are totally, completely in love, he rarely says anything about his life when he was alive. This was a chance I couldn't miss. To see the man of my dreams in his natural environment. Without thinking, I said "Ok. I mean, yes we will go with you!"

Jesse looked down at me, happy and at the same time amused. Paul looked scandalized but didn't say anything. "That's a plan" said Jesse, grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Suze's POV**

The next morning I woke to the sound of a rooster crowing. Ugh. I cursed the O'Neils for actually keeping a rooster at home. I mean, come on! It's a freakin' boardinghouse for goodness sake!

I tossed and turned in bed for some time. It was really very different from my comfortable duvet back home. I mean home in the 21st century. I lay there and thought about last night's events. Jesse had requested Mrs. O'Neil for two extra rooms for two of his "visitors". I had asked him to give me my own room. Jesse had taken the room across the hall (now Dopey's room) and Paul had taken the one next to Jesse's (now Doc's room). I idly sat there, thinking, for some time.

When I thought the sun had risen high enough, I got out and instinctively reached for the bathroom doorknob. My hand was met by plain wood. Oh. My. God. I had completely forgotten about the chamber pot business. Ewww! And how about taking a bath? Oh yeah. People in this time did not take a bath everyday. They had a special bath day in which they went to the barber or something to take a bath. How stupid of me to forget. Silly Suze. DAMN!!

Half an hour later I padded down the stairs and cautiously put my head into the kitchen. I was met by complete chaos. Two men had each other in headlock and were rolling about on the floor. Chairs had been overturned and dishes were splayed all over the room. I stared at them in horror. Other people were just flicking a glance at them and walking away casually like this was something that happened all the time. _So, this is what one of those infamous bandit fights of the Wild West looks like_, I thought.

Just then, Jesse entered the room. "Nombre de Dios…" He quickly pried both men off each other. He spoke some words to them in low tones. One man left with a disgusted look on his face. After a few moments the other man left too.

Jesse turned to me with a smile. "I see you are out of bed at last, Susannah. Have you had breakfast yet?" "Umm…no" I answered. "Well, Mrs. O'Neil is out so I will prepare you something" Jesse said. He invited me over and pulled out a chair for me to sit on. Forever the gentleman is Jesse.

As I was looking around and taking in the plain décor, Paul came in. He was dressed in the same T-shirt and jeans from yesterday and his hair was dry. Ha. So he hadn't found a way to take a bath either. "Morning, Suze. Morning, Rico" he said as he pulled out a chair and sat on it. Without waiting for an answer he continued, "What time do we leave?" I looked at Jesse expectantly. He looked particularly delectable today morning. I don't know why. He was wearing the same tight pants and billowy shirt from the day before. Even though he had been sweating like a pig yesterday, he didn't stink. Jesse set two plates of bread and cheese in front of Paul and I. "Finish your breakfast. I will go and see if I can get Mr. O'Neil to lend us two horses" he said and left the room.

After we had finished eating, Paul and I walked out into the sunshine. It was a warm August day. (A/N I don't know if it was really August or not) Two little boys were playing around in the place where my driveway once stood. Or, should I say, will stand. They gave me very weird looks and ran away when we approached them. Paul chuckled. "What?" I asked him rudely. "Your outfit sure doesn't look like what a… civil young lady in 1850 would wear" he replied, trying not to laugh out loud. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you implying that I am _not_ civil? Any way, what I am wearing is much more comfortable and fashionable then their _hoopskirts _which make them look like they just ate a ton of super-sized cheeseburgers_" _I said and stalked off huffily.

I found Jesse near a tree where many of the horses had been tied up. He looked up and smiled when I approached him. That warm smile melted my heart into a pool of mush and brought tears to my eyes. That's because I suddenly realized that after a short while, I would have to leave him. That I couldn't go through life with my love by my side. Hastily I blinked away my tears as he said "I managed to persuade Mr. O'Neil to provide us with two horses. Are you ready to go now, Susannah?" "Umm…yeah. I mean, no. It's just that I've never umm… riddenahorsebefore" I squeaked. Jesse's brow furrowed in confusion. I repeated what I said slowly. Jesse laughed. His eyes lit up and his wide sensuous mouth split apart merrily. He was a joy to watch. At least for me. "That's not a problem, Susannah. I will be by your side to make sure your horse doesn't run off with you" he said, his eyes twinkling. I grinned. "Alright then. Let's do this thing" I said.

Jesse brought over a chestnut horse whose fur was the exact same shade as my hair over to me. "Her name is Swift" he said handing the reins over to me. I tried to mount her but I couldn't. I mean my body is really very fit and agile from the amount of ghost-busting I have done but mounting this animal was…scary. There I said it. Suze Simon finds a horse _scary_. No wonder everyone back in Brooklyn called me a freak.

After a couple of tries, I took a deep breath and looked up at the saddle determinedly. I was still insistent that Jesse did not help me up. He found that very amusing. I put my left foot on the foot thingy they have there and swung myself up and…tumbled down the other side. But I didn't hit the ground. Know why? That would be because a certain Jesse de Silva caught me. As he caught hold of my waist, our faces came dangerously close and our lips brushed together. A spark of pleasure ran down my spine. My lips burned from where his lips had brushed them. For a beat, we sat like that, looking at each other, wide-eyed. Then I was sitting on the ground and Jesse was standing up and brushing himself off. Then he held out a hand for me to take. I took it and he hauled me up. "Er…" he began awkwardly. "I am sorry, Susannah. I didn't mean to dishonor you in such a vulgar way." "Hey, Jesse. It's alright. Umm… shall we go now?" I said.

Paul came into view right after Jesse disappeared to fetch Paul's and his horse. "You know how to ride a horse?" I asked him. "Yeah, I believe I do. How 'bout you? Want me to teach you?" he said with a smirk. "No thanks. Jesse's there for me. How'd you learn how to ride horses?" "Several vacations spent at my great-aunt's stable" he replied nonchalantly.

Jesse appeared, leading two horses. He gave Paul a flaxen-haired palomino and then mounted his own black horse. And we started on our journey to the De Silva ranch.

A/N There is the second chapter! Sorry, I know its just continuing chapter with not much happening in it but I have been kinda busy. I promise stuff will begin to happen during the next chapter! Please review! And thanks to those who did review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: I know, I know. Pathetically long time since I have updated. I won't blame you guys for hating me and never reading my stories again, much less review for it. But I request you, please review. I was really busy after starting a new school. Catching up sure is hard work. Anyway, without further ado, here is the new chapter!!

**Jesse's POV**

I was excited. I do not know why, but as the three of us made our way across the cliffs with the waves pounding down below, a bizarre sensation swooped through my stomach. I remembered the moment in the morning when I had caught Susannah. I couldn't help remembering the softness of her lips against mine and her slender waist wrapped in my arms and how good it had felt. Coming back to my senses, I shook my head vigorously. I watched Susannah's glossy tresses fly in the soft breeze as she tried with all her might to control her horse. I laughed quietly. I knew that I was supposed to be upset with the news that she and her…colleague (people from the future sure use strange words) had brought. But, I wasn't. Actually I felt as if a great load had been lifted from my shoulders.

I rode over to Susannah and helped her gain control over her horse. "Thanks" she said. "You're welcome, querida" I replied. As soon as the words left my lips, or to be precise, the last word, I hit myself inside. What was happening to me? I couldn't just go around calling random girls _that_. My _padre_ would be furious if he had seen me being so ungentlemanly. But what I said had an odd effect on Susannah too. Her beautiful emerald orbs filled up with tears. I was confused. She couldn't have understood what I had said. She didn't understand Spanish. "Susannah!? Why are you crying?" But she just blinked back her tears and forced a smile and rode forward.

My previously joyous spirits disappeared. My heart felt as if a herd of wild stallions had stampeded on it. I didn't understand why, but seeing Susannah's tears made me feel the worst I had ever felt. Even worse than when I had heard I was betrothed to Maria. I had seen Susannah in a similar state in the O'Neil's barn the night before, though I was sure she didn't know that I had seen her. As the three of us rode into the glorious sunset, I made a promise to myself. I was going to find out the cause of Susannah's tears. Never would I let her sparkling gems shed another tear. And a gentleman never breaks his word.

**Suze's POV**

After a day and a half of riding, we finally reached the De Silva ranch. My legs were aching like hell and my back was paining from sitting upright without a backrest for so long. I simply didn't understand how people in the past did it. Ride horses on hours at and end. Not to mention have absolutely no shopping boutiques around, no Diet Coke, and no lip gloss. I would have _died_.

Anyway, back to the topic. At noon the following day, Jesse, Paul and I came to a huge, cracked, wooden sign saying "De Silva Ranch". "At last" muttered Paul. He had been really quiet during our journey and hadn't shown much sign of tiredness but I knew he was relieved to reach our destination at last.

Our horses trotted along with us astride along the dirt path. On both our sides were fresh, green pastures dotted with cattle, fenced sandy areas for horses and cowboys. I was amazed. I was actually seeing cowboys. And not those fake ones that they have on the rodeos in my time, but the real, Wild West ones. _Oh My God._ I looked at Paul and he had the same look of pure fascination plastered across his face. I laughed. Seeing Paul like this was surely a once in a lifetime experience.

Jesse led us through the doors of a barn. He helped me get off my horse and then he led us through a quaint little garden to a wooden house. It was like a hunter's log cabin, only ten times bigger with two storeys. (A/N I don't know if they actually had two storey houses back then but it's what I always imagined Jesse's house to be. If you know if they existed or not could you please tell me?) Suddenly, a little girl came rushing out of the house and flew straight into Jesse's arms. He swooped her up and embraced her tightly. "Jesse!_¡Te extraño mucho!_" she shrieked as soon as she came out of the embrace. Her complexion was, I saw, slightly paler than Jesse's and she had his same huge, black eyes. Her hair was much curlier than Jesse's but it was the same healthy black color. Before Jesse had time to say anything, many other people came out of the house. It was the rest of Jesse's huge family.

After their reunion, one of Jesse's sisters, who looked about my age and I could only conclude was Josefina, noticed Paul and I. She did a double take. Her beautiful light-brown eyes which were bordered with long lashes widened to their limit and her jaw slackened. Jesse noticed this and he finally turned to introduce us to his family. "Everyone, this is Miss Susannah Simon and Paul…" he began but trailed off. "Slater" finished Paul. Jesse's mother, a petite woman who couldn't have been more than five feet with a perfect olive complexion and flawless facial features that Jesse had inherited, widened her eyes into a stunned expression as she took in my clothes. Jesse's father, a tall, burly man, wore an expression of utter disgust and anger. "Hector!" He then muttered a string of angry Spanish words. I was sure he thought that I was a hoochie mama. Jesse turned a bright shade of red (which was a great feat considering how dark he is) and muttered some soothing Spanish words back to his father. He then turned to Paul and me and said "Please excuse us for a minute". I noticed that he didn't look at me in the eye. I nodded and Paul and I walked away.

The two of us walked to the end of the garden and stood there, gazing out onto the rest of the ranch. Men were working with the animals and crops; women were carrying pails of water from wells and onto the fields; cowboys on top of their horses were keeping the cattle together as they changed pastures. Everything was so carefree. I didn't know how such a manipulative person like Maria de Silva could have been born in a time with people like this. I took a deep breath of the clean, pollution-free air to purge my mind of her thought. I suddenly had a deep desire to have my mom, Andy and my stepbrothers here with me. Even Dopey. I almost laughed at the thought. Losing those brain cells really must have affected my sanity. But still…I missed all of them. "Paul?" I said quietly. "Hm?" he said staring straight ahead. "D...Do you think that our people are missing us? Or has no time gone by over there since we came?" He sighed. "I dunno, Suze. I'm confused. At the moment I'm confused of everything" he replied. I frowned. It was unusual of Paul to be so serious and helpless. We settled into a peaceful silence as we watched the daily activities of the people of 1850.

My thoughts turned back to Jesse. Both the human Jesse and the ghost Jesse. I wondered what Ghost Jesse was doing at the moment. I remembered his soft, deep voice murmuring sweet Spanish words into my hair, and the way he always called me querida. _Sweetheart_. The human Jesse had also called me that once during our journey. That single word had caused so many emotions to well up inside me that it was a miracle I hadn't broken down then and there. But I wondered if human Jesse had meant it when he had said it.

As Paul and I stood side by side, each lost in our thoughts, Jesse appeared by our side. He wore a kind smile. "Come, my family is ready to meet you now" he said and ushered us into the house. Inside the sitting room, the whole of Jesse's family, from his father to his six-year-old little sister, were present. They were seated on the wooden sofa, wooden stools, and chairs. As Paul and I entered the room, they all stared at us wonderingly. The two of us found two stools and sat down. I felt uncomfortable under all their stares and averted my own gaze to the floor. I guess Jesse understood how I was feeling and decided to break the silence. "I have told my family what you have told me" he started. "And they believed you??" I cut in. Jesse glanced at his dad. "They-" He was cut of as cloud of silvery smoke began to form at the center of the room.

**A/N**: There! Try guessing what _that_ was! Please review!! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N OK, now this chapter is going to take a really strange turn. Don't worry, its still JS and everything is still the same. Only…well you'll just have to read to find out. ;)**

**Suze's POV**

One of Jesse's little sisters gasped out loud. The rest of us just gaped. The silvery smoke was starting to take the shape of a girl. My first thought was, _ghost_. Surely it was a ghost._ I just can't be rid of them can I?_ But then, I noticed that everyone else could see it too. That stumped me. They couldn't all be mediators. Anyway, the Ghost Jesse had never told me of being a mediator when he was alive. In fact he had seemed astonished by the fact that mediators existed when we had first met.

Looking back at the silver figure in the center of the de Silva's wooden, ranch-style living room, I noticed her features had all come into view. She was very pretty, in a forest-nymph kind of way. Her skin was of a light olive tone. She had a waterfall of long auburn waves cascading down her back and her eyes were sparkling and green. Her beautiful pink lips which would have made Angelina Jolie ashamed were parted in a soft, knowing smile.

"Wh-Who are you?" asked Jesse's father in astonishment.

"I am the keeper of time" she started. Her voice was a soft and tinkly kind. "I make sure that traveling through time is done according to its policies and mistakes have their consequences."

"Are you an...angel?" asked Mrs. De Silva wonderingly.

The girl laughed. "No, I am not an angel. As I said, I am the keeper of time. I watch over what is going on in the dimension of time. Time is made up of millions of layers. When people start traveling between these layers, it is my job to look up their reasons for doing so and to make sure their business in the different layer of time is finished according to the rules of time travel."

All of us took some time to digest her speech. "So…you show yourself to everyone who travels through time? Pops never mentioned anything of the sort to me" said Paul, frowning.

"No, I don't show myself to everyone who travels through time. Actually this is a very rare situation. You are some of very little humans in the history of time who have ever set their eyes upon me. I only show myself when things do not go according to plan" she replied.

I shifted in my hard, wooden seat. "Meaning things have gone wrong this time?" I asked.

"Yes" she replied. "It was not supposed to end this way" she simply stated.

"What do you mean? How was it supposed to end?" I cried out.

"You will know with the course of time. Meanwhile, you two shifters from the future will be staying here with the de Silvas. I will make sure that the people from your own time will not miss you. You will go ahead with you daily life of schoolwork, only in a different place" the keeper of time said.

_Huh? _OK, this wasn't making sense. What the heck did she mean, continue with our schoolwork? I mean considering the fact that we weren't even going to school! I voiced my confusions.

"I mean that your homework and a copy your rooms will be transported and fixed in the place of two this house's rooms. That way you two will be comfortable, seeing as you are not used to the…ah… old-fashioned way of life here. Do you understand now?" she asked gently.

Wow. She could actually do that?? Man, this was great! I get to have a shower and lip gloss after all!

I nodded dumbly. "Yeah…I under…stand" I replied. "But can't you just give us a hint of what we are even supposed to do here?"

She smiled as she started to fade away. "You'll figure it out, I promise. Oh, and my name is Anthea" she said. The next second she was gone.

**Paul's POV**

The moment the red-headed chick disappeared, I bounded out of my stool and headed up the stairs. I opened the first door in my sight. Nope. No sign of my navy bedspread or Suze's pink canopy bed. The next door I opened, though, shocked me. In it was…well my navy bedspread, my glass topped little table with my BlackBook on it and…well everything else my room has in it.

I stared and stared. Never had I thought that the sight of my own room would stun me so much. This meant that what that keeper of time girl had said was true. That this was not supposed to be the ending. And I had a faint inkling that I knew exactly what ending it was supposed to be.

But I wasn't going to let it happen. Yeah, sure according to the _rules_ my plan was not supposed to work out. But since when did I care about the rules? My motto was "Rules are made to broken". And that was exactly what I was going to do. I was going to keep Suze to myself at all costs. I knew that she was my soul mate the moment I learnt that she was a _mediator_ as she likes to call it. I was sure that fate had brought us together because we were the same and so we would understand each other.

Suze, followed by the de Silva family entered the room behind me. "OH MY GOD." That was all she said.

"Yeah" I said. "Oh My God."

**A/N: Liked it? I know this chapter is not one of my best. But please review. Thanks!!**

**PS: Did anyone notice that abbreviation for this story's title and The Lord of the Rings is the same? I just noticed now…**


	5. Chapter 5

"Hagh

**A/N Here is the next chapter! Sorry for the looooooooooong interval but exams came and stuff so…you get the picture. I know, you guys are thinking "This girl's excuses are sooo getting old" and I am sorry. Summer hols are in a week and I have two whole months in which I'll be free to write! Plus I was having a **_**major **_**writer's block. I have to thank **_**Querdia1607 **_**for giving me an idea on which to start. Anyways, enough babbling and start reading!**

**Suze's POV**

"Hagh!" I cried as all the air stored inside my alveoli rushed out of my body. Mama Mia, this hoopskirt business sure was nasty.

It was our fifth day at the de Silva ranch. After hearing our (and Anthea's) story, Mr.de Silva had finally believed us. Grudgingly, I must add. He had immediately set off with Jesse for the other de Silva ranch owned by Maria's dad. Ha! That would teach that bitch. What her punishment would be was beyond my imagination. Hmm…what were the 1850 penalties for infidelity -though Jesse and Maria weren't exactly married, but whatever-? Twenty years in exile? I wish.

During my five days in the past I had learnt exactly how _boring_ life in there could be.

There was absolutely _nothing_ to do except embroider little forget-me-nots onto tablecloths (something which I can't do to save my life), cooking (the trait for which has passed on from my mom to me), and looking after the cows and butter churns and other dairy stuff (gross).

Jesse wasn't here so I couldn't exactly look forward to spending the days with him. Paul divided his time between his room and the stables and a quarter of it was spent with me. I had to admit; at least seeing him there around the ranch was a source of comfort for me 'cause then I would feel like I wasn't stranded here in the past with no way out and back to my family.

I busied myself making friends with Josefina (or Jo, as I called her- Josefina is too long to be convenient). She turned out to be a very fun kind of girl. Not the girly, oh-I-am-so-helpless kind of girls I thought all nineteenth century girls were like. We spent most of the day in my room with me showing her the different twenty-first century gadgets (she had almost fallen off the bed when I demonstrated to her how the TV and the clap on-clap off lights worked), her telling me stories of their life on the ranch (and me asking questions specifically about Jesse-What? So sue me. I needed to know.), or me doing my schoolwork while she looked on or explored my room. One day, she had even taken me on a horse-riding trip around the ranch. I wore one of her cotton day dresses that day since people would be seeing me.

On the second day, I had brightened up a bit when Marta, Jesse's eldest sister, had mentioned that we were going to the market. Ah! Some shopping at last. Now this was more my thing.

But when we got to the _market _I realized that my wish of walking through a dust and pollen-free building for a few hours and looking through glass windows was not going to happen. Far from that, in fact. It was more like a village square where people got together to gossip about whose daughter had been gifted a dress of the finest silk from Spain and whose slave had run off with whose cowboy. The only things we could actually buy over there (for females) were ribbons, bonnets, dresses, and hoopskirts.

That brings me to what was happening at the moment. All the de Silva women had taken it to heart to fit me into one of those nightmare- inducing things that they called hoopskirts. Apparently there was a ball being thrown by this family called the Andersons. I recalled Jesse mentioning them to me in the O'Neils' barns.

Anyways, back to the topic.

"Oh! I am so sorry, Susannah!" said Mrs. De Silva as she tried to fit the hoopskirt down my head in a less painful way.

"Its OK" I grunted, trying to remain polite. I really liked Jesse's mom, she was a great woman, but at that time my patience was wearing out. I mean, seriously, what wouldn't a girl give to simply slip on a sleek cocktail dress, put on a pair of dangerously fashionable Jimmy Choos, grab her Prada clutch and head for the party down the block?

After about fifteen minutes of tough work on Mrs. de Silva's and Marta's part and loads of grumbling on my part, the piece of metal had been fitted around my waist. To say I couldn't breathe would be an understatement.

I had been reluctant to let the de Silvas spend their money on buying me dresses which I would never wear again but they had been very insistent.

"You cannot stay at home and you very well cannot go out into the public wearing…er…_your clothes_" said Marta. "We will buy you whatever you need. Its not like we are poor anyways" she finished with a smile.

So, here I was wearing a big, fairytale-like silk ball gown of the lightest shade of pink. I had protested against that very color which nearly drives me insane in my room but Jo had said that it complimented my brown hair. The neckline was slightly sweetheart shaped and was rimmed with even lighter shaded lace. The bodice was tight around my upper body and formed a V-shape as it dipped into the two-flounce skirt. Each flounce was bordered with lace. The sleeves were more like ruffles with satin ribbons at the edge.

When it came to my hair and makeup, however, I had to give the red light. After much fussing, Mrs. de Silva and Marta allowed me to style my hair by myself.

In my room, I took a strand of my hair and twisted it around my index finger, trying to decide whether to straighten it or let it remain wavy. I wanted to look really good tonight for Jesse.

I laughed as I remembered the way Ghost Jesse used to criticize my wardrobe and fashion sense. _Lets see what he says when he sees me in this dress_, I thought. My smile faded as I realized that I was actually thinking about that Jesse. Ghost Jesse. My Jesse.

I turned towards the window seat, half expecting to see him there, one leg on the seat the other on the ground, the leather-bound copy of _Critical Theory Since Plato _propped up on his lap and Spike sitting beside him.

That was it. I started crying. Everything, all the caged emotions, they all came rushing out. It was like a dam blocking the currents of a great river had given away at last to the water's raging torrent. A great sense of loneliness washed over me. All I wanted at that moment was to relive all those little moments with Jesse.

The first time I had met him as I had entered my new life in Carmel; he, Father Dom and I climbing down a steep cliff on that windy night; how all the pain from the bruises and scars on my face had disappeared the moment his calloused fingers had softly grazed my cheek in the hospital room; my small hand in his large ones as we tried to find a way out of that cold, misty place called Shadowland; his lips on mine, his strong arms encircling my waist like he would let nothing get to me…

My door burst open and Jo ran in. I hastily wiped away my tears and forced on a smile as I turned to her. But she was a smart girl.

"Suze?" she asked (I had managed to persuade her to call me by my nickname). "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" I answered. "Just remembering my family in the future"

She narrowed her eyes. "You are lying. Your eyes are too red. You couldn't have been crying so much for such a reason. Tell me what happened."

I sighed. This girl seriously reminded me of Gina. Demanding and to the point. "Look Jo, you won't understand. OK, what if I told you that I will tell you sometime later? Will you not tell anyone or question me about it?"

Jo raised an eyebrow. But I guess I must have looked a sight, because she then softened her look. "Fine. But Suze, you have to tell me if something is troubling you, alright? Promise?"

I nodded. "Promise. Anyways, what did you come in here for?" I asked.

Her soft smile brightened and she said "Ummmm… actually I was...er… wondering if you could style my hair tonight"

I raised my eyebrows and started laughing. "Sure I'll do it for you. "

I got out of the chair in front of my dressing table and let her sit on it. I leaned over her shoulder and smirked at her through the mirror. "We'll make you look so hot that even those nineteenth century gentlemen won't be able to keep their dirty eyes off you."

Half an hour later the two of us made our way down the wooden staircase. When we arrived in the living room we saw that everyone was already there. Our footsteps made all of them look up. And gasp. Well, except for Paul, that is. I saw that Mrs. de Silva's and Mr. de Silva's eyes were on Jo. I had to admit, I had done a good job of styling her.

Her normally unruly raven curls were now stick- straight. I had taken a small amount of hair from each side and pinned them together behind her head at the middle with my tortoiseshell clip. I had also drawn a line on the rim of her lower eyelid using an eye pencil, subtly bringing out her hazel eyes. To her heart-shaped lips, I had squirted on a hint of lip gloss. The overall look was very simple and angelic yet carrying more of an allure than any other girl from the time (well, duh, it _was_ modern stuff I had applied on her). I was scared to apply more makeup on her, not wanting everyone to think of her as a soiled dove.

"Josefina! Your hair! How…?" cried Mrs. de Silva.

I laughed. "It's called a straightening iron, Mrs. de Silva. You can use it to straighten curly hair. It's a modern appliance. Of course the effects are only temporary."

She only stared.

Jesse stepped forward, smiling. "She looks beautiful, Susannah. You do seem to have a hand for this."

But I now had eyes only for him. I didn't hear what he said. He was looking…can you say _gorgeous_? Oh my god, all the girls will so want to steal him away. That's when I realized that for the first time, I was going to have a competition with other girls to win Jesse. Before, I was the only one who could see him and talk to him so I had nothing to worry about. Now though…I gulped. But I was sure Jesse truly loved me. The Ghost Jesse at least. The Human Jesse was the exact same person. What difference would there be?

I diminished all those thoughts and started out the door with all the de Silvas and Paul (who was looking hot but kinda weird in those super tight pants-imagine a curly haired Zac Efron in a huge baggy shirt, super tight trousers and a cravat).

As I looked at Jo though, I couldn't help but remember the promise I had made to her earlier in the evening.

A/N Whoa! My longest chapter! Decided to be nice and not leave you guys hanging off the cliff this time. Don't know about next time though…;) You know what to do, the button is right there below!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A fast update (at least for me

**A/N: A fast update (at least for me!). I must say I was disappointed with the decrease in the number of reviews for the last chapter. I decided that from now on my update rate will depend on the number of reviews. So please review if you want more! **

**Hehe ;) (I'm about as mean as Regina George, don't you think?)**

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**Josefina's POV**

Balls and dancing… they are just not my thing. At least the usual ones aren't. None of the men ever took much notice of me. One or two dances and then the night was over for me.

But today was different. Five minutes into the party and already I had been asked to dance by five men. _Nombre de dios!_ I thought. _I must remember to thank Suze after this._

I was dancing with Ben Leroy when I noticed that Jesse had asked Suze to dance. I stifled a laugh as she stepped on his foot, causing him to wince. She desperately needed to practice.

As the music and dancing went on, I noticed the way Suze was looking at my brother. It was a very…intense gaze, like she was trying to memorize his every feature.

_Hm. I must remember to talk to her about that. _

After that dance was over, I walked over to the refreshment table and chose a glass of punch. As I was sipping, I saw him. I gasped quietly. He was the word _handsome_, walking and talking.

He had silky straight hair the color of honey falling onto his eyes like Jesse's did sometimes. Standing at about six feet, his figure was impressive. A strange feeling traveled down my back. I shivered.

I would have to talk to Suze about this.

After the second dance ended, I took hold of Suze's hand and led her away from the dance floor before my brother had a chance to whisk her away.

"Jo?" she asked, a confused expression on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Suze," I started seriously. "What do you think of love at first sight?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I dunno. It saves time, I guess"

I couldn't help letting out a giggle. Her sense of humor was very different to anyone I had ever met.

"Why?" She suddenly turned suspicious. "Seen someone interesting?"

I blushed. "Er…kind of. I mean, yes…I have"

Her striking green eyes widened. "Really?" she said excitedly. "Who? Who?"

My face fell. "I don't know him." I replied sadly. "I've never met him before."

She rolled her eyes, an action she seemed to have down like a fine art. "You know, there's a phrase in the English language which goes- "Let's get introduced."

**Jesse's POV**

Victor Lozano. He was the one man whom I hated more than Felix Diego. He was the one man, more dangerous than Felix Diego. He was the one man who was more of a womanizer than Felix Diego.

He was here.

What the Anderson's had in their mind when they invited him, I do not know.

I had to protect Susannah and my sisters from him. I couldn't let any of them get near him. But first I had to talk to _mi Padre_ about this.

Before I could turn to look for my father, he was at my side.

"Hector. Do you know who is here tonight?" he asked me.

"Si, Padre." I replied. "Victor Lozano" I spitted out.

My father nodded. "Keep an eye on him, Hector. Don't let him near any of your sisters."

"Yes, father" I replied.

He turned away, shaking his head and muttering in Spanish about the Anderson's being out of their mind.

I sighed. There went my pleasant evening. I had been planning on dancing more with Susannah and getting to know her.

_Susannah. _A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. She looked particularly stunning this evening. The dress she was wearing accentuated her figure which I found to be very … pleasing.

_Hector! Get these ungentlemanly thoughts out of your dirty head!_

When I was near her, I always got this… feeling that I couldn't explain.

I sighed. I had to leave these thoughts. Susannah was here temporarily. I couldn't get any…ideas about her.

Where was she anyway? Soon after the second dance- which she had shared with Slater- Josefina had grabbed her and the two of them had disappeared.

I swept my eyes over the sea of people, searching for two in particular. Having the advantage of being taller than the majority of my countrymen, I spotted them easily.

Walking over to them, I smiled. The thought Susannah always did that to me.

"Where are you two ladies headed?" I asked them.

Susannah smirked. "Already jealous? Trying to prevent me from meeting any other young men?"

Josefina stifled a laugh and widened her eyes, a mixture of shock and humor. I blinked. I could feel the heat leaking into my face. _Nombre de dios!_ She was very…forward.

Then, apparently realizing what she had said, Susannah clapped her hand to her mouth. Her face had turned into a tomato.

"Ohmigod. I-I'm so sorry, I thought…" She then clammed up. With one last glance, she hurried away.

I wanted to go after her, but I decided against it. It would be better to give her (and me) some time to get over the embarrassment.

Leaving Josefina, I turned away and walked over to some friends. I was so caught up in my feelings for Susannah that I forgot the task my father had set for me earlier in the evening.

**Suze's POV**

Damn! Why had I gone and made that remark to _this_ Jesse? The Jesse who was not used to the modern forwardness. Now he would go and think of me as some kind of coquettish bitch throwing herself at him. Something like a Kelly Prescott of 1850.

Half an hour later, I was still standing in the corner, brooding over my actions. Jo came hurrying up to me, her face flushed with excitement.

I raised my eyebrow. Someone had gotten hooked…

"Suze!" she whispered excitedly. "His name is Victor Lozano."

--

**A/N: The water is starting to boil…**

**OK a few things to say:**

**I know things between Jesse and Suze are going really slow. But this is a long story; it's nowhere near the end. **

**I also realize that we are seeing very little of Paul lately. He is not very active **_**at the moment.**_** He will come back to life later in the story.**

**This chapter focuses mainly on getting Jo to notice Viktor. I'll tell you guys that their romance is not going to be a smooth supporting characters love story, taking place just to make the story contain some heartbreak. No…no…evil laughter**

**For those who read my other story, Run Over, it's going to be some time before I update. Sorry. ******

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: OK, this is pretty much a filler chapter

**A/N: OK, this is pretty much a filler chapter. But read and review anyway! :)**

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**Suze's POV**

_In the play As You Like It, imagine you are Celia. How would you react to Rosalind's falling in love at first sight with Orlando?_

I tapped my pen on the paper. English Literature was driving me insane. Especially with its stupid questions about love at first sight and whatnot. I mean, considering my own love life wasn't exactly driving on the smoothest road at the moment. All those Shakespearean 'love at first sight' perfect love stories were just reminding me how badly my own romance was going.

"Why couldn't we have been saved from homework? We're not even going to school!" I said to the air. "Like I freakin' care what Celia would think if Rosalind falls in love with Orlando!"

Clearly, I was frustrated. Reason being - it had been two days since the ball and Jesse hadn't spoken a single word to me aside from the usual "Good morning, Susannah" and "Good night, Susannah."

God, had what I said at the ball scared him away _that_ much? It hadn't been _that_ forward, had it? Oh, but I forgot. This was Jesse we were talking about. Stupid Jesse with his stupid gentlemanly-ness.

My door burst open and Josefina hurried in. "Suze, have you seen Padre or Jesse anywhere?"

I rolled my eyes. He _had_ to be mentioned everywhere didn't he? "Can't say I have," I grumbled.

"Oh. Well then I suppose they aren't at home. Good. Tell Madre I've gone out riding, will you?" she said. "Oh and have you by any chance seen my blue parasol anywhere?" she added brightly, not noticing my obvious annoyance.

I squinted up at her. Something was not quite right. Why was she being such a little Miss Sunshine if she was just going out riding? And why would her father's and Jesse's absence be a good thing? This was not like Josefina. She always noticed when I was not in a good mood. And she always invited me to come with her whenever she went riding.

"Josefina!" I called as she began to walk out of my doorway.

She froze. Then slowly she turned to me. "Yes, Suze?" she said in her normal cherry tones but I could detect a tremor of nervousness in it. Clearly she had noticed my use of her full name.

"You're not _just_ going out riding, are you?" I said suspiciously.

Her eyes flitted uneasily around my room, looking at anything but me. I narrowed my eyes. Something was seriously wrong.

"And why did you want to know if Jesse and your dad were at home or not?"

Jo opened her mouth but closed it again. I waited patiently for her to answer. After a few moments of silence, I decided to help her on.

"Jo. You know you can tell me if anything is troubling you, right? Same like you told me to tell you if I was bothered about something? C'mon. Tell me what's wrong" I coaxed her.

She sighed. "I know, Suze. But the thing is, it's not really something bad. And I really can't tell you. Maybe sometime later." With that, she rushed out of the door before I could say anything.

OK, that hurt. Josefina was never so rash and short with her words. But more importantly, what was she keeping a secret?

A voice in the back of my mind unexpectedly said "Victor Lozano." I bit my lip uneasily. I remembered the big lecture Mr. de Silva had given at breakfast the morning after the ball.

"That scoundrel Victor Lozano is in town! Now before any of you girls go and fall for his charms, I am telling you that he is the biggest womanizer in the country!" he had said, wagging his finger threateningly towards everyone at the table. "I pity the woman who will have the misfortune of becoming his wife – that is, if he marries at all. Worst kind of rogue!"

I fervently wished Jo hadn't gone out to meet this Victor guy. Maybe one of her friends had announced their engagement and she was just very happy for her.

But I knew in the back of my mind, that I was clutching at the last straws. Why would a girl think it was 'good' if her dad and elder brother weren't home? The answer was obvious. She was going to meet a guy. And in Jo's case, there was only one guy I could think of.

I sighed and turned back to my literature homework. I think I knew how Celia would react to Rosalind's falling in love with Orlando at first sight.

But only if Orlando was a good guy.

**Jesse's POV**

I needed to find her. Susannah.

I had been ignoring her for the past two days and now I was starting to feel foolish. Obviously she was used to making comments like the one she had made at the ball. And she hadn't been suggesting much when she had said it. Why was I reacting so much?

After dinner, I went outside searching for her. I found her at the end of the garden, sitting with her back against the ancient oak tree and looking out onto the ranch. She had two pieces of string in her ears which were connected to a little box she was holding in her hand.

She looked up as I sat down on the grass beside her. "Hey," she said taking out the strings from her ears. "So you've decided that I'm not a serious plague at last, have you?" she said with a wry smile.

I smiled back softly at her beautiful moonlit face. "I never thought of you as a serious plague, querida." This time, I didn't hit myself inside for calling her that. Because the fact was, she truly was my querida. She was my dearest one.

I looked down at what she was holding in her hands. "What is that?" I asked, pointing at it.

She laughed. "It's called an i-Pod. You store music in it and you then you listen to it. Wanna try?"

I nodded. She took one of the strings and lodged its end in my ear. I caught a whiff of her flowery perfume as she leaned in. Her smell was intoxicating.

I don't know how much time passed as we sat there listening to song after song. Some of the songs were just pure noise but a few actually had some sense in them. The one I particularly liked was – Susannah said – named "Far Away" by some band called Nickelback.

As the lyrics of the song flowed over us, I was surprised by the nearness between the two of us. Our shoulders were brushing as we both leant against the same tree. I looked at her profile. She was gazing up at the stars with a thoughtful yet knowing expression.

I longed to know so much about her. How did she know me? Why had she come all these years back in time just to save me? What was her life like back in the future? And, most importantly, why was it that I felt so much love for her even though I barely even knew her? It seemed she was shrouded with mystery.

Even as these questions were running through my mind, I was admiring her bravery and strength. How this young girl managing to live here, a hundred and fifty years before her time, I didn't know. She was in a world full of people she had never known and yet she faced every situation with admirable casualness and adaptability.

All these thoughts caused a huge emotion to suddenly well inside me. And I knew why I had reacted so much to her words at the ball.

"Querida?" I said, my voice husky with emotion.

She turned to me, a new kind of light in her eyes and a hopeful smile playing on her lips. She had noticed the change in my voice.

And throwing propriety to the wind, I leaned forward and captured her lips in my own.

The kiss was soft and slow. But inside my body, every kind of wild horse were stampeding up and down. Susannah wasted no time in bringing her hands up and circling my neck with them. She began to run her slender fingers through my hair. I encircled my arms around her waist, bringing her closer to me as if to protect her from all the unknown dangers.

When we both came up for breath, she put one of her hands and her head on my chest. I buried my face in her gentle chestnut waves, taking in her intoxicating smell.

"Querida?" I asked her, playing with her hair.

"Mmhm," came her reply from where her face was buried in my chest.

"Remember when you said that I was jealous at the ball?"

"How could I forget," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"You were right."

--

**A/N: OK, so maybe it wasn't a filler after all. :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I really really **_**really**_** hope that you guys ****will**** like this chapter. It was one of my toughest writes so I'm not really sure about it…**

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**Jesse's POV**

Working on the ranch was hard work. With the blinding Californian sun beating down on me and the aggravating beads of sweat on my forehead constantly trickling down my temples and tickling my face, my biggest desire was to get out of the sizzling fields to somewhere where I wouldn't be roasted alive.

Today, though, as I helped the newly hired cowboy tame his stubborn mare, I had an added reason for wanting to escape the sun's fiery wrath.

I wished to spend my time with Susannah. I knew she couldn't live here forever and the thought saddened me extremely. In fact, I was starting to think how I would be able to lead a normal life without her by my side. As painful as the thought of her leaving was, it urged me on to spend as much time as I could with her.

Since that first kiss we had shared underneath the stars three days ago, my presence at her side had been bordering on the brink of impropriety. I didn't care though.

That was another thing about Susannah. There was something about her which made me do what I really wanted, not what I was _supposed_ to do. It was as if, just by being present in my life, she brought out the real me. The me which had been suppressed all these twenty years by my father's and society's dominant nature.

Wiping my sweaty brow with the piece of cloth that hung around my neck, I looked around the emerald green pasture, noticing how much the color resembled Susannah's beautiful eyes. Sometimes I wondered how the grass managed to look so fresh and green under so scorching a heat.

After a short headcount to make sure that none of the cows were missing, I headed home to _mi querida_.

--

**Josefina's POV**

"Viktor," I whispered as we came out of our passionate kiss.

He pulled his hand out of my corset and rested it on my waist. "Josefina," he whispered in the same low, breathless voice.

Nothing else was needed to be said. We just sat, leaning against each other, feeling each other's wild heartbeats and absorbing the peace that we gave each other.

Sitting on the rocky slopes of the treacherous seaside cliffs, we had spent the entire afternoon in each other's arms. Now we watched as the giant flaming orb dipped into the sea miles away and the seagulls abandoned their roost on the rocks in the sea, to fly away far off to their homes.

During the short time I had known and loved Viktor, I wished I could turn into a bird just like those seagulls and soar above the world with him by my side. To be free to love whom I wanted without a care as to what society required.

Slowly, hot salty tears started pouring down my cheeks. I tried my best to hide them from Viktor but he saw them anyway.

He didn't ask why I was crying; he knew the reason behind every action of mine without me opening my mouth. Gently, he placed my head on his firm shoulders and stroked my hair silently.

A few moments later, he spoke quietly. "Do you regret it?"

I lifted my head from his shoulders and looked at his handsome profile. "Regret what?" I asked, my voice slightly husky from crying.

"Me." His jaw was set and he was looking steadfastly in front.

I set my head back on his shoulder and gazed at a distant ship, small and black against the fiery backdrop. "There are many things I regret. I regret your past. I regret the fact that I will never be able to present you to my family. But never for once did I regret falling in love with you," I answered softly.

Viktor turned to face me at last. His face was impassive but his eyes, those two windows to his soul, betrayed the bitterness he felt for his past behavior. Slowly, he opened his mouth and said, "And if you had to, would you regret leaving your family for me?"

--

**Jesse's POV**

Something was disturbing Josefina. She hadn't uttered a single word all through dinner whereas usually she was the one who contributed to most of our dinner conversations. Her eyes were downcast and there were worry lines creased on her normally youthful face.

I glanced around the table at the rest of my family and returned my eyes to my plate, disgusted. It looked as if none of my family members had noticed my younger sister's perturbed state. My mother I could forgive for she was too caught up with making sure Isabel, my youngest sister, finished her food. But the rest of them were all unbelievably ignorant.

I felt something brush my leg underneath the table. Looking up, I found Susannah looking at me with a questioning look on her lovely features. Her eyes looked at Josefina's direction then looked back at me with the same questioning look on her face.

My love for Susannah increased tenfold – if that was even possible, considering how much I loved her already – just for the fact that she, she who had been with us for less than two weeks, had noticed my little sister's tension.

I shrugged slightly at her and turned back to my food. I would deal with Josefina after dinner.

Soon everyone had finished their food and my family adjourned to the sitting room to continue with the rest of their evening activities.

Discretely, I pulled Susannah aside. Slater walked by us, throwing me a dirty look and rolling his eyes as he made his way up to his room.

_Bastard. _

Before I could speak, however, Susannah spoke, "Jesse, do you want me to talk to Jo?"

I shook my head. "No, Susannah. I'll look after that. I was just about to tell you that. Anyway, I'll go now and find her," I answered.

She nodded. I smiled. Looking around and finding the area deserted, I leaned down and placed a small kiss on her lips.

She giggled. "You know, this secret boyfriend-girlfriend thing is kinda fun. Makes me feel all CIA-ish, except we're stealing kisses not top secret documents," she said.

I felt perplexed. Boyfriend-girlfriend? CIA? What was she talking about?

My confusion must have shown on my face because she then rolled her eyes and said, "Never mind. You're never going to change, are you?"

I raised my eyebrows.

She sighed. "Whatever. Just go to Josefina and play the stereotype protective elder brother role. Nighty-night, Jesse," she said, tip-toeing to reach my lips and give a little kiss before climbing up the stairs to her room.

I stood there for a while, both perplexed and amused. Never had I met a girl as strange as Susannah. Her stock of vocabulary especially was, to say the least…different.

Slowly I made my way to the sitting room. I found Josefina in the corner beside the old piano, reading a novel in a melancholy silence.

Before I could make my way across to her, however, a dense white fog settled over the whole room.

--

**Suze's POV**

After brushing my teeth, I stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to my dressing table.

Outside the open bay windows, crickets chirped and a warm summer breeze whispered through the ranch, causing the tree leaves to rustle lightly.

Suddenly I put the brush with which I had been brushing my hair down. Something was wrong. I sat still, listening. Slowly I realized that it was too silent. Usually the sounds of the three youngest de Silva girls' laughter and Marta's piano playing drifted in through the open windows. Today, however, there was nothing. Nada.

_Oh whatever. Maybe they're having a rest day or something._

Too tired to go down and investigate, I shrugged the matter off and climbed into bed. I clapped the lights off and fell asleep at once.

--

**Jesse's POV**

I opened my eyes to find my whole family and myself in a place which seemed like the inside of a cloud. In front of us was standing none other than Anthea, the girl who had paid us that…visit the day of our arrival back home.

She smiled that typical knowing smile of hers. "Good evening," she started in her soft voice.

We stared at her. What did she want with us? We weren't the ones with special powers, that was Susannah and Slater, neither of whom were here.

Suddenly, she turned to me. "Hector – or would you rather be called Jesse?" she asked.

Finding my voice, I replied, "Jesse is fine. Pardon me, but what exactly do you want?"

Her ethereal green eyes sparkled. "Tell me, Jesse. Do you ever wonder what the relationship between Susannah and the future you is like? Do you ever wonder how she and your future self met?" she asked lightly.

My breath hitched. Anthea had directly delved into my inner-most thoughts. Since the moment I had met Susannah in that barn, a day didn't pass when I didn't ask myself those questions.

"Yes," I answered hesitantly. "Why?" I asked.

"Well," she started. "Remember when I said the last time we met that those two shifters from the future were here because things didn't end the way they were supposed to?"

We nodded warily.

Her smile widening, she continued, "Well it so happens that you, Jesse, play a crucial role in setting things right. Your family I brought because I thought they have the right to know too. Since you have no clue as to what you are supposed to do, I thought perhaps this might help."

She snapped her fingers and, like magic, a big picture started to appear in front of us. A _moving_ picture.

I heard my mother and one of my sister's utter muffled shrieks. The rest of us just stared, aghast.

Slowly the picture became clear and I recognized one of the people in it. Susannah. She was wearing a black shirt and a vulgar black jacket which seemed like it was made of leather. Her blue trousers – _jeans_, I think she called them – were torn at both knees.

Around her was a woman who had exactly the same hair as Susannah, a golden-haired man, and three boys. The eldest boy looked about my age and the youngest about twelve.

We watched as all of them got out of a huge metallic machine which seemed to transport people in the future from place to place. The place I vaguely recognized as the O'Neil's' boardinghouse. But everything was so changed. Not a single horse was to be seen and the surrounding area which I had known to be empty miles of grass was now covered in similar houses built in an orderly manner. Only the ancient pine trees and the red domes of the Mission remained.

Susannah and what I assumed was her family went into the house. They climbed up the stairs and walked into a very…_pink_ room. Her mother was talking excitedly to her but she, I could see, was not listening because she suddenly saw something at the other end of the room.

I followed her gaze and saw…well, _me_. It was me but it wasn't me. In the picture I was sort of transparent and I was glowing. It was the ghost me.

I glanced at my family and saw them staring at the picture, transfixed. I turned back to the picture and watched.

Susannah and Ghost me had a rocky start. But the attraction between both of them was evident. Several times throughout the picture I saw Susannah's eyes wander down to where the Ghost me's nightshirt opened up to my chest.

I smirked. Then realizing that my family was watching too, I turned red. Looking at them, I saw Josefina turn to me and grin wickedly. Her troubles, I saw, were forgotten for the moment.

We lost our sense of time as we watched the fascinating picture.

A priest whom Susannah called Father Dominic joined the story. He too was a ghost-seer or, I learnt, a _mediator_. I smiled as I saw the way Susannah's impetuous mediation methods and his gentler, cool-headed methods contrasted.

Months passed in the picture and the three of us – Susannah, Father Dominic, and Ghost Me – battled several incensed spirits. I was pleased to see me in the role of rescuer to Susannah most of the time.

Something in my future self and me connected as I watched. I could share in the protectiveness my ghost felt for Susannah as she went about fighting ghosts in her typical hot-headed manner. It was a match made by the hands of God himself. We balanced each other out perfectly. Susannah kept me from living my after-existence in a pit of misery and boredom and I kept her from becoming too rash. The attraction too, I could feel. And now, I understood the reason for Susannah's tears that day on our way home when I had called her _querida_.

Never will I forget the anomalous sensation which watching this otherworldly picture gave me.

Then summer came into Susannah's life along with Paul Slater. People in the future, I observed, liked basking in the sun at sea wearing horrifyingly revealing clothes. I looked down at my hands embarrassedly whenever Susannah came into view wearing one of those two-pieced…apparels.

Then a huge shock, like a giant oak falling on top of my family and I, came.

The ghost of Maria de Silva appeared into the picture. My fists clenched when I saw the way she made life for Susannah hell. I looked at my father to see how he would take it. Seeing his idea of a perfect daughter-in-law and wife behaving like a madwoman must have shocked him no end.

I understood slightly why Anthea was showing this picture to my family too. It was to make amends for all the misunderstandings that would have happened had I been killed by Diego. Now they understood Maria's true intentions.

But the question remained as to why she was showing it to me. How would watching this moving picture help me set things right? Not finding an answer, I decided to just watch for the time being.

I was stunned when I saw Susannah separate her soul from her body just to find me when Maria had had me exorcised. So that was the extent of her love for me! She would give up her life if she had to.

Soon after both of us had safely come down from that foggy place called Shadowland, came our first kiss.

"…_I really don't feel like doing anything. Especially talk..." said Susannah._

"_Then you don't have to," said Ghost Me. _

Then without a second to think, my ghost had walked over and kissed her. I could feel the intensity of the emotions running through my future self. The passion, love, gratefulness, bitterness, and lastly, the regret.

I heard my sisters giggle. Looking over at them, I saw them look at me with raised eyebrows and teasing smiles playing on their lips. Only my parents were still gazing at the picture.

_Nombre de Dios! _This picture was showing too private things to my family. I looked at Anthea, irritated, but she was looking at the picture too, like she was enjoying the show exceedingly.

Weeks passed by in the picture. Susannah had a gravestone made for me and had my body – which had been unceremoniously thrown into a pit in the O'Neils' backyard by Diego – buried respectably. Paul Slater started blackmailing Susannah with threats of exorcising me if she didn't come over to his house every Wednesday. One such appointment ended with Susannah harassed and with awfully blistered feet.

Then came the big fist fight between Slater and my ghost. We wrecked almost Susannah's entire house. He had been playing around with Susannah and he got what he deserved.

The relationship between Susannah and my ghost got more and more passionate and intimate. There were several times in the picture when I wished I could dig a pit in the ground and bury myself from the embarrassment of having my family watching some of the things in the picture.

Then at last came the sombre topic of time-travelling. The reason why Susannah and Slater had come so far in time. It was all because of –

Me.

Slater wanted to save my past self so that there would be no ghost and so he could have Susannah to himself. The thought of Susannah in that _bastardo's _arms made my blood boil. Susannah had followed him because she wanted the exact opposite. To let me die so she could have her romance with my ghost.

Now I understood why she had changed her mind after coming to the past. She had seen my real solid self and couldn't think of me dying so she was going to give up her love to give me my life.

After Susannah and Slater had shifted to this time, the picture started to fade until it was completely gone. We all stood silently, not being able to digest the miraculous thing we had just witnessed.

_Match made by the hands of God himself. _

Anthea came back to stand in front of us. She looked at me with a keen look in her eyes.

_The passion, love, gratefulness, bitterness, and lastly, the regret. _

"I think, Jesse, you will soon know what to do," said Anthea softly before leaving us with her white cloud.

--

**A/N: A long, twisted, complicated, annoying but crucial chapter. You don't know how damn annoyed I got from typing all the "future me"s and "ghost me"s. **

**I am nervously waiting for the responses…**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ah! Paul at last! swoon **

**Or not. Depends if you're his fan or not. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**--**

**Paul's POV**

It was four thirty in the morning. I could not sleep. The absence of the usual lulling sound of the waves crashing into the rocks just a few yards below at Pops' house did not help either.

Getting up and shivering, I slipped on a shirt and made to the glass wall. Usually, the dark, shimmering sea and a faintly glowing sky would have greeted my eyes. Now it was only the light silhouette of the giant oak in the garden, the vast spread of ranch below and a mother bird soaring the sky in search of food.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I surveyed the quiet landscape. My thoughts turned to Suze and Jesse and the whole phantom of why we were still stuck a hundred and fifty years behind our time.

All of a sudden, I wanted to kick myself.

What the hell was wrong with me? We had been on this ranch for about two weeks already. Two weeks_._ And I still hadn't made any move.

My plan had been to just take Suze and shift back home and make her my girlfriend and live happily ever after. Doesn't sound difficult, does it? But here I was with not a clue as to why I was stalling.

OK, I admit that those past few days had been if not enjoyable then intellectual. Heck, I'd never need to research for our local history essays anymore. I had first hand experience. But still, it didn't mean that I could allow my new experiences to be an obstacle to my plan.

As the daylight began to seep in above the horizon, I came to a decision. And I would stick by it at all costs.

**Josefina's POV**

I tightened the tough string of my cloak around my neck. Walking over to the jewelled metal chest in the corner of my room – a gift from _mi Padre_ on my fourteenth birthday – I opened the lid.

From inside, I pulled out a piece of parchment and an old book. The book's pages were yellow and stiff from age and the deep red of the leather cover was fading away.

I walked over to my bed and, sitting on it, I opened the book. Tears came to my eyes as I looked over the words and pictures in it. Towards the beginning, the handwriting was big and awkward but towards the end it had transformed into a small, neat script.

From the book, I looked around the small wooden box that was my room. But all the wood was just a façade. Inside the layers of timber was buried sixteen years of fond memories. Memories which were now to be bottled up and safely stored away forever in a corner of my heart. A corner that would never be explored again.

Silent streams of water flowing down my cheeks, I took out my bottle of ink and my pen and sat down at my desk. After posing with the pen hovering above the parchment for a moment, I began to write.

**Jesse's POV**

I was thinking about what Anthea had shown us four days ago. Actually, since my family and I had viewed the moving picture, I was always thinking about that. Everywhere. When I was eating, when I was riding, when I was spending my time with Susannah, all the time.

And now at five in the morning as I was feeding the cows in the barn, I was thinking about that.

"_I think, Jesse, you will soon know what to do."_ Those had been Anthea's parting words to me. But four days had passed and I still didn't know what to do. How did all this concern me? I thought it was all about Susannah's and Slater's powers. I had just coincidentally been thrown into the chain of events.

_It wasn't coincidence. You know it was fate, Jesse. You know it. You and Susannah were meant to be. _

Groaning, I flung the bunch of hay in my hand away hard. Frustated, I squatted down with my head hung down. Everything was just so complicated. Why couldn't Susannah and I have been born in the same age and time? We could have led our lives happily with each other and died peacefully, knowing that we would be spending eternity underneath the springs of heaven in each other's embrace.

Finishing off with the feeding, I trudged home.

Another boring, unproductive day to look forward to.

**Suze's POV**

"Shit," I groaned as I started getting up from bed.

My neck had cramps from lying in the wrong position. Holding my hand to my neck, I propped myself up on one elbow and squinted at the clock. It was seven o'clock. Way past the normal waking time in the de Silva household. Actually in the whole 1850s. With another groan, I slid out of bed, pushed open the windows to let fresh air in, and headed for the bathroom.

Forty five minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom, drying my hair with a towel. As I walked over to my glass-topped vanity, I dreamily looked out of the bay windows. The sky was of the freshest forget-me-not blue, birds were chirping, the air smelt of honeysuckle and I could see a little open-air carriage rattling down the dust path of the garden. A typical 1850 ranch morning.

_And the classic setting for an 1850 date with a gorgeous Wild West Spanish rancher_, I thought.

I snorted. Jesse would never ever take me out alone without an escort to accompany us. He'd not want to "imbrue my honor" as he put it. As if the people around would even care about the de Silvas' houseguest's honor.

Hanging the towel on the back of my chair, I reached out for my hairbrush. Instead, my hand brushed a piece of paper. Looking at it, I realized it wasn't even paper. It was a little more yellow and thicker. It was parchment. Beside it was an old care-worn leather bound journal that I'd never seen before.

Puzzled as to what a piece of parchment was doing on my dressing table – I was very much satisfied with good old A4 paper, thank you – I picked it up. I was about to unfold it when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened and revealed a flustered Mrs. de Silva. "Susannah," she started.

"Morning, Mrs. de Silva. Can I help you?" I said, getting up, the parchment still in my hand.

"Yes…ah, I mean…yes. Did you happen to see Josefina anywhere this morning?" she asked, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Ummm…no," I answered, my eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why?"

She frowned. "Really?" she said. She sighed irritably. "Well, then I suppose she's gone out for a solitary ride again…though she ought to be back by now…" Her voice trailed off as she turned back to go out.

Suddenly, I got a very bad feeling. I couldn't pinpoint the reason, but I just knew that Josefina hadn't gone out for a solitary ride. I just _knew_, you know?

Looking down at my hand, the one holding the parchment, I gulped. Slowly, I raised it closer to my face and unfolded it. Sinking into the chair, I began to read.

_Dear Susannah,_

_Now that you are reading this letter, I must be far away already. I have written this to you because, I admit, I am scared to write this to any of my family. Scared that their love for me will welter because of what I have done. _

_Suze, do you remember that ball we went to some time before? Remember I seemed attracted to that new man, Victor Lozano? The one who Padre so crudely abused the next morning at breakfast. I have fallen in love with him and him with me. _

_I know that he has a past which is not, for lack of a better word, decent. But, Suze, what we have, it cannot be just an act. I know that it is not an act. He resents his past just as much as mi Padre rightfully does. _

_I have to face the truth. My parents will marry me off in a few years time. And I know for sure that their chosen son-in-law will not be Victor. And I cannot live with any other man but him. _

_Now, I think, you know exactly what I have done. I assure you that Victor and I will find peace somewhere in this vast land and we shall settle down to lead a quiet, honest life there. _

_Before I bid farewell, there is one more thing I have to tell. I know everything about what went on between you and Jesse's ghost in the future. We all know. My whole family and I. We were visited by Anthea a few nights ago and she showed us everything. _

_The thing is, I know that you love my brother. I know you love him very much. Suze, thank you. Thank you for giving him what he deserves. My older brother is the best man I have ever known and you don't know how thankful I am to you for giving him the love he always needed. _

_At the end of the show, Anthea told Jesse that he would soon know what to do. But I think he doesn't know what he is to do yet. I do. All I'll say is, take care of him, Suze. You will both live a joyous life together I know. _

_One more thing. I leave with you my diary. It has recorded everything event of my life since I was ten-years-old, including all my meetings with Victor. I hope to God that you will read it and understand and forgive me for my actions. _

_The sun is starting to rise and light up my beloved ranch. Victor is waiting for me at the road. I should go now. I beg you please convey my heartfelt love to my family and, on my behalf, beg for their forgiveness. _

_So I take your leave and, for the last time ever, I sign my name,_

_Josefina de Silva_

I stood shocked as the piece of parchment fluttered out of my hand and lightly landed onto the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: You all know the drill: I'm sorry for the long delay. I had a lot of schoolwork. And, yeah, I sort of lost my interest in this one. **

**Sadly, that is true. And, honestly, I don't know how many readers are left for this fic, I'm just hoping there are a few left. **

**Right, I'm ready for the rotten eggs and tomatoes. Just be sure not to throw too hard. xD **

--

**Suze's POV**

Life on the de Silva ranch had been scraping the boundaries of torturous since Josefina had disappeared.

Mr. de Silva, upon hearing the news from his tearful wife, had promptly disowned Jo. He had, then, proceeded to wreck all the furniture in the living room, tearing all the beautifully embroidered cushions covers that Marta and Mrs. de Silva had worked on so patiently.

Jesse had been no better. Going red with rage, he had instantly stormed out of the house when his mother had informed him of Jo's elopement and ridden off somewhere for a whole day. He had come back late at night, tired and morose.

In short, the whole de Silva household was in a kind of mourning period. Paul and I were the only ones who went on normally, as if nothing had happened.

It was the fourth day since Jo's disappearance. I walked out of the house and into the bright sunshine, lost in my thoughts. Thoughts directed towards Josefina's last words to me. She had told me that the whole de Silva family knew what had happened between Ghost Jesse and me. That part had left me quite embarrassed. Everything? What exactly did she mean by everything?

Still pondering over the question, I ambled into Mrs. de Silva's little garden, breathing the unpolluted air in deeply. Suddenly, I caught sight of someone sitting with their back at me. It was Jesse.

Swallowing, I nervously walked towards him. He had barely spoken to me since his sister's disappearance. I secretly wondered whether he held me responsible for the whole episode. I couldn't stand the thought.

Reaching him, I silently sat down beside him and looked down at the emerald green grass. I felt, more than saw, him turn his head to look at me and turn away again.

After a few minutes, I couldn't stand the silence anymore. "I'm sorry," I blurted out.

Finally daring to look up at his face, I saw him looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Sorry for what?" he asked, his voice slightly croaky due to not speaking for a long time.

"I—I don't know," I said lamely. I could feel the heat flooding into my face as his face turned into an expression which looked like he thought I was mental.

"I…well, I just thought you blamed it all on me for…I don't know…coming in and butting into your perfectly normal and perfectly happy life and—"

"Susannah," he interrupted me. "You had nothing to do with it, alright? Stop blaming yourself for it," he said sternly. He looked tired, frustrated…angry.

I opened my mouth and shut it again. I got the feeling he didn't want to deal with my babbling crap at the moment. Leaning down, my eyes followed an ant scrambling up a blade of grass.

A few moments later, I suddenly heard him laugh humourlessly. Looking up at Jesse, I widened my eyes. What was up with him? One minute he was scolding me, the next he was laughing?

"All this time…why didn't you tell me?" he asked, looking directly into my eyes for the first time that morning.

I blinked rapidly. What was he talking about? "I—what're you talking about?"

He lost his sarcastic face, looking down at me seriously. Let me tell you one thing, angry Jesse was just as scary as a happy Jesse was fun to be around. "You know what I'm talking about, Susannah. You've known me longer than you've admitted," he said.

I gulped. "Known you longer? Well, of course I've known you for longer. I told you, didn't I? I knew your ghost," I answered, my heart pounding. This was too close to the truth. I really didn't want Jesse to find out about what had happened between his ghost and me. I didn't want to be reminded once again of the consequences.

Jesse narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Yes, you said you knew him. But you never said you were in _love_."

My heart missed a beat. "Okay, fine, we were in love. Why does it matter to you, anyway?" I asked, throwing the question back to get the pressure of the situation off my back.

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his thick hair. "It's the fact that you've been hiding something from me all this time! That you've betrayed my trust," he almost shouted.

I winced.

"Susannah," he said, controlling his voice. "Tell me what you want from me…from us. You and Slater. Just tell me and I will get it for you and then you can go back home."

I was shocked. A throbbing sensation in my nose, a telltale sign of the tears that were to follow, started.

Gulping, I whispered, "So…you're tired of me already?" I kept my eyes on the ground.

I couldn't believe it. I'd never known that there could be players and heartbreakers of this kind during the 1800s. I mean, the concept might have been illogical, but it wasn't my fault altogether. Especially because the heartbreaker in question happened to be Jesse.

Jesse's eyes were as hard as stone when he looked at me. They reminded me of two glinting onyxes. His lips were pressed together tightly.

"If that is the reason it takes to make you leave, then believe it," he said stonily, his gaze not exactly meeting mine.

Suddenly, a wave of fury washed over me, strong and resilient. Tears of anger spilling over, I jumped up onto my feet and shouted at him, "You know what, Jesse? Your ghost once told me that he wasn't the good man I saw him to be all the time. That only living in limbo for so long had made him realize the value of life and everything that comes with it. I didn't believe him then. How could I? Jesse? Not a good guy? But now," I said, my lips trembling. "Now, I so believe him! I was stupid not to! Because you are a…a…"

I swallowed. I couldn't really find an appropriate adjective to describe him. And because I still couldn't believe that Jesse was telling me to literally get out of his life.

He continued looking out onto the ranch, poker-faced. I saw a muscle in his jaw twitch. Slowly he turned to me and said quietly, "Susannah. It is for our own good. We can never be together. So, its better that we say goodbye now before…before it gets too…serious." He looked back at the ranch and ran a hand through his thick black hair.

I took a deep breath. He thought he was smart, didn't he? Well, not for Suze Simon, he wasn't. "I will forget you, but you won't, Jesse. You will remember every single thing. You know that and don't try to fool me," I shot at him, my eyes narrowed.

He winced. Clearly, he hadn't expected me to find that flaw in his explanation. Sighing, he turned his weary eyes on me. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, interrupting the richness of his olive tone.

"Susannah, if you're alright, I'll be alright. Just…go home, _querida_," he said softly. He was using his silky voice which always had me melt into a pool of mush.

Jesse almost had me there. Almost. I put on my most no-nonsense face and opened my mouth and started pouring out all the arguments I could think of. I was determined: If Jesse was going to suffer, I would suffer along with him.

**Paul's POV**

I moved slowly, careful not to rustle too many leaves. I felt the weight of de Silva's sister's diary with the letter, stuffed into my waistband. I'd nicked them from Suze's room because they looked like things Suze would want to take back home.

I had brought the items with me because I knew what I was going to do once I found Suze. I was going to shift. There would be no more stalling. Chuck Anthea and her stupid concepts. Suze and I were going home and that was that.

Honestly, I was becoming anxious. Nobody had ever done this time travelling thing and been gone so long. Who knew, maybe we would get stuck in this time forever if we stayed too long. Or maybe a thousand years had passed back in our time. Who could tell? And I was not about to listen to that freaky chick Anthea anymore.

I watched Suze and Jesse talk from my hideout in the bushes. They both seemed upset about something. I couldn't hear their words clearly. Their expressions, though, I could see. Or Jesse's at least. Suze had her back at me as she jumped up, angered at something.

Watching the two of them together, I was reminded of that first night in 1850 in that barn. I'd only been pretending to sleep while we were waiting for Diego to come. Suze and Jesse's conversation then had really struck me as much as I'd tried not to let it.

Since then, doubts had begun to creep into my mind. Was I really the best one for Suze? Was she really meant for me? Had I been too rash in my decision to come here and terminate Jesse from her life forever?

Because, the truth was, however much Suze thought otherwise, I really did care for her. Sure, at first she'd just been another hot chick to knock up. But, then, as we got closer through our gift, a part of me had begun to really care. To really care for her safety and happiness.

Problem was, I still couldn't figure out whether the caring was purely brotherly or romantic. Until that night at the barn, I'd been sure it was romantic. But now, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Still, whatever it was, Suze and I were going home. We'd been here too long. And if she wasn't going to come willingly, I was going to force her to.

Walking out of the bushes, I went and stood beside Suze. The both of them turned to me. I was surprised to see the look of relief on Jesse's face, as if I'd just saved him from an enormous fight. I raised an eyebrow. Looked like there was trouble in paradise…

Looking back at Suze, whose expression was – no surprises there – pissed, I said casually, "Hey, Suze, you ready to go home?"

Her scowl got even more pronounced. "Eavesdrop much?" she growled.

I blinked, surprised. "Excuse me? I wasn't eavesdropping, okay?" I said. Well, I _wasn't_. Even if I'd been trying to.

She narrowed her eyes. "So, how'd you know what Jesse and I were talking about?"

I stifled a chuckle and raised an eyebrow amusedly. "So that's what all the shouting was about…Tell me, who was on which side?" I asked.

Before Suze could open her mouth, Jesse got up – fluidly, I must admit – and smoothly cut her off. "That's none your business, Slater. Do you need anything?" he asked, putting a cautioning hand on Suze's shoulder.

I was impressed, I must say. At how easily he had changed the subject and managed to quieten her from unnecessarily blabbing stuff to me. Yet another depressing thought. At how well they seemed suited to each other.

I took a deep breath and said, "I was serious about what I said. Suze, we really need to get home. We've been here too long. Who knows how much time has passed back home?" I looked at her seriously.

Jesse smiled faintly. "See, _querida_, even he agrees. You should get home. It's not safe to play around too much with these things," he murmured to her.

I pursed my lips, irritated. These Spanish dudes with their crazy accents - which, for some reason, girls found irresistible – just came and whispered a few words and the girl was theirs. What was up with her Spanish nickname, anyway? I'd never learnt _that_ word in Spanish class.

Suze glared at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh, and since when did you rely on _his_ opinion, huh, Jesse?" she hissed.

Okay, that hurt. The way she said the word 'his' was way undermining. I kept my poker face, anyway.

Jesse frowned. "Susannah, please just do it."

She opened her mouth once again, but I'd had enough. Because I knew that once Suze started, she wouldn't stop until she won the fight. Unless, of course, you _forcefully_ made her lose.

I grabbed her wrist and closed my eyes, concentrating on Suze's backyard. It would be better, I thought, if I had her closer to her house. The less I would have to put up with her wrath.

Suze cried out. I opened my eyes a tiny bit, instinctively. Before I closed them again, I saw her reach her other hand and grab Jesse, trying to hold on to him.

Then we were flying in darkness.

--

**A/N: Ya'll know what happens next. :D Still, I'll try and get an epilogue up as soon as possible. **

**Please review!**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who has stuck with me throughout this fic, which happens to be my first. I love ya'll!**

**--**

_10 years later…_

**Suze's POV**

The sunlight filtering in through our window blinds signalled another new day at the de Silva household. Jesse, who had never gotten over the habit of rising with the sun, shifted beside me.

"Mmm, morning, _querida_," he murmured sleepily.

I didn't answer, cuddling into his bare chest. He tightened his arm around my waist, continuing to whisper Spanish words into my hair. I let the rich sound of his voice flow over me, gently prodding me to consciousness. The soft thudding of his heart provided a rhythmic beat to his murmurs.

When I was suitably awake, Jesse got up. "Get up, _querida_," he said, poking my foot underneath the duvet.

"Mmm, Jesse! That tickles! Stop it!" I grumbled. I reached a still half-dead arm for his pillow and threw it at him. His deep laughter reached my ear as he deftly caught it and threw it back with more force at my head.

"Susannah, it's eight already. Look outside, the sun is already high. Wake up," he continued in his silky voice.

"Nobody wakes up at eight on a Sunday morning, Jesse," I whined, my eyes still stuck closed.

I heard him mutter something about modern people in Spanish. Then he said, "Susannah, the sun's up. What's the use of staying in bed? Everybody is – or should – be up by now," he stated firmly.

"Freak," I muttered under my breath. His chuckle told me that he'd heard it.

This was an argument that had taken place every weekend morning for the last four years. Or something along these lines, anyway. It never got old. With Jesse, nothing ever got old, really. Ha. Talk about ironic.

Half an hour later, we were downstairs in the kitchen. I was popping the bread into the toaster and Jesse was preparing the eggs with one hand and holding the newspaper he was reading with the other. The ancient radio that he had insisted on purchasing – much to my chagrin. I mean, it totally destroyed the woody elegant look I was going for – blared on in the corner. I rolled my eyes. Really, why couldn't he just switch on the TV like a normal person?

The sound of childish laughter floated in from the living room. I couldn't help but smile at the sound. Our son, Rick, had the most infectious laugh I'd ever heard. Or maybe that was just me being his mom.

I walked into the living room and planted a kiss on my son's forehead. I would never have done that around a decade ago. But that was a decade ago when I was Suze Simon. Now I was Susannah de Silva, a mother, wife and psychiatrist. I was more mature now, not to mention…womanly. So the kiss was nothing out of the ordinary.

Rick pointed delightedly towards the TV. "Look, Mommy, Jerry hit Tom with…with…" he trailed off, not finding the word in his four-year-old vocabulary.

"A washboard?" I prompted. He nodded distractedly, already absorbed in another one of Tom and Jerry's stunts.

Suddenly, I giggled. Washboard. The word made several memories float into my mind. How many times had I day-dreamed of Jesse's washboard abs when I was sixteen? And now, I had those exact washboard abs at my disposal…

Feeling suddenly playful, I sashayed into the kitchen and wrapped my arms around Jesse's waist. "Hey, handsome," I whispered, a grin on my face. It was going to be one fun, lazy Sunday.

Jesse turned around in my embrace, an eyebrow raised amusedly. "Yes, Susannah?" he said.

"Wanna play?" I asked, leaning on my tip toes to reach his lips.

He grinned, slipping out of my arms. I pouted. "What's the matter?" I asked, frowning.

"Nothing. I just have to make a few calls," he said, grinning even more widely and walking to the living room, greeting Rick loudly. The jerk.

Though, seeing as it was Jesse, he'd never leave my wish unfulfilled. We'd see at night…

Sighing happily, I went and sat down at the desk beside the sliding doors which led out to the backyard. Gazing out into emerald grass, I was suddenly reminded of a certain place. A place somewhere in the volumes of my special memories.

It was Jesse's ranch, I realized with a start. The huge oak in our backyard made the setting seem even more like Mrs. de Silva's little garden back in 1850. I blinked slowly. Neither Jesse nor I had spoken of that experience for a very long time. I hadn't even thought of it in forever.

Tears of gratefulness came into my eyes as I thought of the day we had shifted back to the present. It wasn't like me to cry at a thought. But this particular memory was so painfully happy that I couldn't help but cry. Even now, after ten years, my heart sped up dangerously at the thought of what would have happened if I hadn't grabbed Jesse's hand in that last second in 1850 when Paul was shifting us. I shuddered.

Moving forward, the smile came back onto my face. Father Dominic had helped us tremendously. He'd used his special privileges to get Jesse started in this world as a legal citizen. He'd provided the correct education for Jesse to become the expert surgeon he was now. And he'd been the father-figure that Andy couldn't be for Jesse.

My thoughts drifted to Paul. We'd patched up at the winter formal a week after our arrival back home. After graduation, he had gone on to Harvard Law School and graduated from there with flying colors. He was now a criminal lawyer in Los Angeles with a wife and a three-year-old daughter. Now, to my utter surprise, he and Jesse sported a strong friendship. We visited them every time we drove over to LA.

Turning my head, I surveyed the little shelf built on top of the desk. I reached out and touched the weathered leather spine over there. It had been a long time since I'd read Josefina's diary too. My gaze turned down. We had never gone back to the past again. That day in 1850 when I was sixteen had been the last day Jesse had met his family.

The guilt had never completely faded. I still felt a little guilty for separating Jesse from his family whom he so dearly loved. And he hadn't gotten to say goodbye either. It had been a horrifying experience for me when Jesse had first read Jo's diary. Even against his strong will, a tear had spilled over. I had never ever seen Jesse cry before or after that day. And it had been his first and last time to read his sister's journal.

From that day onwards, he had broken all the ties that bound him to his previous life. My feelings on that were ambivalent. I didn't know whether to be happy or guilty.

"Mommy?" Rick's voice broke my thoughts.

"Yes, honey?" I asked, turning around and picking him up and setting him on my lap.

He didn't say anything, just snuggled his head into my neck. We'd had a late night; he must have been sleepy still. I looked at him as he started playing absently with my necklace. It was clear that he was Jesse's son. He had the same olive skin tone, the same ebony hair, and sharp features. But his eyes were like mine, green. I was glad he'd gotten my best feature from me.

After Rick was sleeping, I carried him over to the couch and set him there. I lifted his head and sat there then placed it back on my lap. Rolling my head back, I listened to the chirping of the birds outside and the neighbors' noisy truck driving down the road. Suddenly, I felt a large warm hand slip around my shoulders and nudge me to the side to make space for him.

I smiled and carefully moved to the side, not jostling Rick too much. Jesse slipped in beside me, cradling Rick's head in his lap.

"Finished with your calls?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows.

He smiled. "All done. I'm yours for the rest of the day, ma'am," he said.

Playing along, I pulled him closer by the collar and whispered, "Excuse me? For the rest of the _day?_ You're mine for the rest of _eternity_."

His laughter rumbled through my body as he skimmed his mouth along my neck. "Whatever you say, _querida_," he said.

I smiled and sighed peacefully into his kiss. With the three of us here in each other's arms, I was home at last.


End file.
